Coming Home
by RoseHedgehog
Summary: Chris rescues Claire from Rockfort Island where the Ashford family wreaks havoc with the T-Virus. Now they're home, living normal life again, and Claire finds herself in another tragedy. Battling her sudden romantic feelings for her brother. What will she do? Warning: Incest.
1. Coming Home

_This is a revised, and slightly different version of "How Can I Not Love You?" which I posted from a different account. If any of you have read that before and liked it enough to read the whole thing, feel free to read this. I feel it's a bit more detailed and it may differ a bit in storyline so it's worth a read. Those who have not, you're welcome to read also, but be warned. This is incest, Claire x Chris incest to be specific. So if that sort of thing grosses you out, hit the back button to return to the long list of fanfictions to choose from to find something that doesn't give you the same reaction. Anyways, R&R! _

The room was dark, the only light in it was coming from the window, and it was dim glow at that. Claire lay in bed, on her left side, gazing

out into space deep in her thoughts. She hadn't been able to sleep, and hadn't even bothered to change out her clothes since she got

home. She still wore her basic black scoop neck shirt underneath her red embroidered vest, curve-hugging blue jeans, and red sneakers.

She hadn't even let her hair down; loose from its constraints of the ponytail she usually wore it in. She was much too preoccupied to even

think about sleeping. Though the full sized bed she laid on was quite comfortable, and she hadn't been able to sleep in one in a while due

to the recent outbreak on Rockfort Island. She couldn't get someone off her mind. Someone who was actually only a room down from her

in the apartment. Her brother, Chris, who had saved her from the island. When he had rescued her from the cocoon that that sick cross-

dressing man, Alfred Ashford had put her in after knocking her into unconsciousness, she felt something. Something she had never felt

before. When he whispered gently to her slumbering body to "wake up" and how he just wanted to take her home safely from this

nightmare. When he embraced her as soon as she awoke and sat up slowly. When he grabbed her hand as he thought of an escape

strategy in his mind, then threw her out of the way when the staircase collapsed. He had always protected her. Ever since their parents

died. But this particular time… she recognized her feelings toward him to be different. Much different than those she had remembered

previously.

She couldn't explain it really. With the outbreak at the time, she hadn't had much time to think things through. But now she did, lying in

this bed without a bit of exhaustion in her eyes. Well, at least not that she could tell. She probably was exhausted, so much so she could

probably sleep till noon the next day if she allowed. But she had so much on her mind. How would she explain this to Chris? She shook

her head to herself, her brown leather gloved hands balling up into small fists. She couldn't. She wasn't crazy. She wasn't stupid either. It

would ruin their relationship forever. She couldn't bear to lose him. She had no one else really. Leon was off in Spain doing some sort of

mission he was assigned the last she had heard. And Steve well… she didn't want to think about that right now. She had enough

emotions swimming around in her body right now. She curled up on the bed in a fetal position, closing her eyes as she rubbed her

temples for a moment. All this was just giving her a headache.

She got up from the bed, walking over to her door and pushing it gently forward as she proceeded to the bathroom, careful to keep her

footsteps quiet and slow to not wake her brother who was slumbering on the couch in the living room. He had fallen asleep watching TV.

She could hear him snoring, and a small smile tugged at her lips in response. It was nice to hear him resting; she wasn't used to hearing

it very often. Her brother seemed to do more work than anything else. She grabbed the bottle of pain killers, and popped two pills into

her mouth. She walked to the kitchen, grabbing a glass from one of the cabinets, and filling it with cold tap water from the faucet. She

swallowed the pills with a hearty swig of water, and then returned to her room, closing the door quietly behind her. She finished the rest

of her water, placing the glass on the night stand near her bed, and resumed her position on the bed, lying down on her side. Deciding

that her headache was a sign she needed to stop thinking about all this, she decided to take in the sights outside her window instead. It

was raining hard. She heard the drops of rain hitting the pavement and whatever else it collided with outside, as well as the honks of

cars in the streets. She smiled at the familiarity of this. She had missed the city life. Being on that island she felt so disconnected from

everything. This calmed her enough to finally fall asleep, and her body thanked her for it.

The next morning, Claire awoke to smell of coffee brewing in the pot from the kitchen. She stirred in the bed, before sitting up groggily,

and then finally getting up to go out the door and proceed to the kitchen where the smell led her to. Chris sat at the table, which had four

chairs, and a checkered cloth across it's wooden surface. He was dressed in a black basic tee, green camouflage cargo pants, and was

barefoot. His dark brown mop of hair was a bit tousled from sleeping. He looked up at her from the newspaper he had been reading

beforehand. "Claire…" He paused in his train of thought as he took in her appearance. "Why are you wearing your clothes from last

night?" Claire had to look down at herself to see what he meant. She was still half sleep actually. "Oh… um. I guess I was really tired."

She lamely explained. She hoped he wouldn't see through her. But as he continued looking at her, still searching for answers to his

question, it seemed he wasn't convinced. She didn't notice though, as she averted her gaze away from him, and instead focused on the

coffee pot, which she made her way over to. "Mmm, I'd love a cup of coffee." She mused, pouring herself a cup full into her red mug. "Sure

sis, help yourself…" He trailed off. Chris gazed at his sister, concern swimming in his eyes. Just what was she hiding from him? It wasn't

like her to keep secrets.

After her cup of coffee, Claire went to her room, gathered some clothes, and headed for the bathroom to shower. After taking her hair

down and undressing, she entered the pouring warm water. She sighed as she began to lather herself in her Japanese cherry blossom

scented body wash. She couldn't keep acting as if everything was alright. Even if she did, Chris would see through her "I'm fine"

demeanor sooner or later. From the feeling she got when she went to pour herself some coffee, that feeling that he was staring at her

with suspicious eyes, he already had. He was on to her, and she wasn't sure how to handle it. But what could she do? Tell him? No. That

was out of the question. She shook her head, and began to focus more on bathing. She didn't want to give herself another headache.

The one she had last night was pretty rough. Thankfully the painkillers that they kept in the bathroom cabinet were strong. She

eventually emerged from the falling water, and dried herself off, then proceeded to blow dry her hair and get dressed. She wore a black

leather jacket embroidered with orange flames on the sleeves and on the back of it. The jacket was left unzipped. Underneath her jacket

was a red cropped tube top underneath. She wore matching black leather pants, and on her feet was her favorite pair of high brown

boots. She tied her long brunette hair in a ponytail like she always did and emerged from the bathroom.

"Sis, you hungry?" Chris asked, turning around to face her from the stove where he stood cooking breakfast. The aroma of bacon, eggs,

and toast filled the air. She smiled, nodding her head. "Sure." She joined him in the kitchen, grabbing plates and glasses to set on the

table. Claire sat down while Chris began to pour some scrambled eggs onto each of their plates, along with a few slices of bacon and

toast. "What you want to drink?" She put her left hand to her mouth as she thought for a moment. She had already had a cup of coffee,

one was enough for right now so she decided on something else. "Mm, orange juice for me." He walked over to the fridge, retrieving the

freshly bought carton. "A good choice. I think I'll have the same." He poured the both of them a full glass, and then put the carton back

into the refrigerator. As they both began to eat, she took a moment between bites of food to say, "Thanks Chris. You didn't have to do

this." He shook his head, smiling from ear to ear, "It's no problem. I love doing things for you. I don't get to usually." She looked down for

a moment, and then resumed to eating her food. It wasn't exactly a topic she liked to talk about, let alone even hear about.

"Claire, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." He paused, putting his fork down on the table. "Is that why you slept in your clothes

last night?" She looked up at him, her lips slightly parted, and wondering what in the world to say. She didn't want to say the wrong

thing. But she didn't want to say nothing either. He would only suspect further that she was hiding something. "Yes." She looked away

from him again before continuing. "You're always gone, Chris. How am I supposed to enjoy you being back with me if I don't even know

when you'll be called back to the force for another top secret mission that I can't know anything about?" He sat there motionless, as he

took in his sister's facial expression, as well as her words. He had been the one hurting her this whole time. He felt awful. He stood up

from his chair, and walked over to her, bending down so he was at level with her, as he embraced her closely. "I know I haven't exactly

been the best brother I can be. But I promise you… no matter how many missions I get called on, I will come back. I'll always come back

for you, Claire." She hesitantly wrapped her arms around him in return, and nuzzled her head into the crook of his shoulder. His fingers

began to rake gently over the locks of her hair. She closed her eyes, and felt heat rising to her cheeks, as her heart thumped rapidly in

her chest. She was enjoyed this a little too much, and for all the wrong reasons. But she couldn't help it. There no denying it now. She

was undoubtedly, and hopelessly, in love with her brother.

He let go of her, much to her dismay, and then noticed her reddened face. "Claire, are you okay?" She looked at him, feeling all the more

embarrassed over what she was feeling because of him. "Nothing. It's nothing." She quickly tried to dismiss his question, but the next

thing she knew, he was placing his hand on her forehead to check for a fever, only deepening the scarlet hue displayed on her pale face.

"You're a little warm. You getting sick, sis?" She shook her head "No", but he wasn't convinced. "Then why are you all red and warm?"

Inside she was screaming. He was reading her like an open book. She looked toward the window, and getting a quick but not thoroughly

thought out idea, she began to fan herself and said, "I think I'm just hot. It is sunny out. Is the AC on in here?" She bit her lip, as she

studied his face, and silently prayed that he would buy it and leave it be. He nodded, walking over to the Air Conditioner. "I'll turn up the

AC so you can cool down." Having turned it the cool setting down to 69 instead of 74, he then brought her a glass of cold water. "Here

sis, drink this." She placed her hands on the glass, and in the process, ended up brushing her fingers against his. "Thanks." She

muttered, and took a full swig as she felt the heat in her face intensify. Gulping down the cold liquid, she tried to calm her breathing, and

doing that caused her heart rate to slow. Putting the empty glass on the table, she took a deep breath. She just needed to stay calm.

Chris went to go shower and get dressed after making sure Claire's body temperature had cooled down. She sat on the couch in the

living room, grabbed the remote, and turned on the television. The News was on. Of course, they talked about the outbreak on Rockfort

Island. She rolled her eyes. The media would be talking about this for weeks. But of course, no one looked for anyone to blame. They

instead just called it a tragedy. After showing pictures of the bombed island, and talking about it for a few minutes, new pictures showed

up. One of them was of an old friend, next to a younger blond. "Leon!" Claire exclaimed. She was glad he was alright. He had been on a

mission in Spain, where some sort of outbreak occurred as well. He had also saved the president's daughter. Claire raised a curious

eyebrow at the blond, holding onto Leon's arm and smiling from ear to ear. The girl probably had a huge crush on him. She didn't blame

her. He was good looking, and a good person. On top of that, he knew how to handle himself in the worst situations. His heart belonged

elsewhere though. To some woman named Ada who he spoke to her about from time to time back during the outbreak in Racoon City

where they barely escaped with Sherry.

In the middle of her reminiscing, Chris had emerged from the bathroom, showered and fully dressed in light green button up, light blue

jeans, and brown boots. He sat down next to his sister, wrapping his arm around her as he asked, "When did you get this outfit? I

haven't seen it before. And it's not red." She jumped. Looking at him, she felt the all too familiar warmth rising to her cheeks. He looked

so good in his button-up. His eyes looked so curious. And he was smiling warmly at her. "Oh um… just something I found in Raccoon City

that I liked." She answered while quickly adverting her eyes back to the screen. He couldn't help but notice her distant behavior. His smile

disappeared, as he gazed at his sister in concern. Had he done something wrong? Was she avoiding him? He removed his arm from

around her frame, looking down sadly at the floorboards beneath the couch. Was it all the going away and not telling her first? He never

meant to make her feel like she came second to the job. That was absolutely _not_ true. He looked over at her again. _I'm sorry, Claire. _He

needed to make this right. And he was going to. Tonight.


	2. Home Cooked Meal

_This is a revised, and slightly different version of "How Can I Not Love You?" which I posted from a different account. If any of you have read that before and liked it enough to read the whole thing, feel free to read this. I feel it's a bit more detailed and it may differ a bit in storyline so it's worth a read. Those who have not, you're welcome to read also, but be warned. This is incest, Claire x Chris incest to be specific. So if that sort of thing grosses you out, hit the back button to return to the long list of fanfictions to choose from to find something that doesn't give you the same reaction. Anyways, R&R!_

After watching more than enough television, Claire decided to step out for a walk. She needed to clear her head. Just for a little while

before having to face Chris again. Chris, still at their apartment, began to gather various ingredients and tools to begin cooking a home

cooked meal, which neither of them had gotten to partake in in quite some time. He peeled potatoes, cut them into pieces, than mashed

them in a bowl, and proceeded to cook them in a pot on the stove. Then he prepared a pot roast and put it in the oven. Finally he put a

cold package of peas into another boiling pot of water and let them simmer over the flame. Having everything cooking, he then went into

his room to grab two things he had been keeping for a while. One was kept in the cabinet near his bed, and it was a bottle of wine he

had been saving for a special occasion. He hadn't really had much to celebrate in the past, but tonight, he wanted to make it up to his

baby sister for all the heartache he had caused her. He then grabbed a box, which was wrapped in red, glittery wrapping paper, and had

a silver bow on top of it. It was a gift for her, which he had bought back before his days as a S.T.A.R.S. member. He had planned to give it

to her much earlier, but when the missions started to roll in, his time was limited, and he hardly ever saw her. So the gift remained

untouched, and ungiven. Having retrieved these two things, he returned to the kitchen, and placed the bottle of wine on the table. He

put the gift under the table, near his usual chair, and then began to set the table with silverware, plates, and wine glasses. He even set

up a few candles, and lit them, since it was going to get dark soon, and the light was much too bright for such an occasion.

Sometime later, Claire came into the apartment, with the smell of mouthwatering foods hitting her immediately upon entering. "What

smells so good?" She asked, walking further into their home with her eyes curiously wandering about. Chris smiled at her, who sat in his

usual chair at the table. "It's been a long time since we've eaten dinner together. So I figured I'd cook tonight." She sat down in her usual

chair, across from his, and marveled at the nice display on the table, as well as the food sitting on the counter as well as on the stove

top. "I… I don't… know what to say…" She sheepishly admitted, utterly speechless by her brother's kind actions of the evening. "Well, it's

okay. You can thank me later when the shock wears off." He joked, as he got up from his seat and began to fill both their plates with

spoonful's of mashed potatoes, a thin slice or two of pot roast, and a helping of green peas. He returned to his chair after serving, and

then proceeded to open the wine bottle, pouring her a half full glass first, and then himself. Claire finally found the right words after

having a moment to process everything. "Thank you so much… you didn't have to do all this." He smiled at her again. "I know I didn't

have to. But I wanted to. And well, you deserve it, sis. It's not often I'm here, and I do apologize for that. But when I am, I should treat

you like the princess you are." She waved her hand at him, lightly laughing at his nickname for her. "Oh stop, I'm not a child anymore,

Chris." He laughed along with her, and the two began to quietly take their first few bites of food, as well as a sip or two of their wine.

"How is it?" He asked. "It's so good! You should cook more often." She cooed, smiling from ear to ear. Chris was more than happy to see

her enjoying his hard work, as well as smiling again. He missed her smile. Every time he was away for work he thought of her. Her hair.

Her eyes. Her scent. Her laugh. He missed it all. And here he was, getting to take it all in for once. It felt good, that was for sure. "Sure

sis. I'd love to, as long as I get to see that beautiful smile every time I do." And he meant it. He totally would, as long as it made her

happy. After the two finished off their plates, and about half of the bottle of wine, Claire gathered their plates and silverware and

glasses. "Since you cooked, I'll do the dishes." She stated. He gave a brief laugh. "Thanks sis." After rolling up her jacket sleeves, she

began to wash dishes while humming softly to herself. He smiled. Tonight had gone well. But as he looked down, he saw the bow

attached to the wrapped present, and he silently swore to himself. He had forgotten to give it to her. He looked back over at his sister,

and parted his lips to call out her name. But he was interrupted by the ringing of the phone. "I'll get it." He said, sighing in annoyance, as

he got up from the table and walked over to the ringing line. Claire couldn't help but hear his responses to whoever called. The phone

was in the living room, which was not too far away from the kitchen where she stood washing dishes. She wasn't sure who it was, and

what they wanted. But she could hear her brother's responses.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hi! Long time, no talk. How are you?"

"Big news huh? What's going on?"

"Oh you wanna come over here? Sure. It must be something big I'm guessing if you wanna tell me in person."

"Alright. I'll be waiting for you then."

"Seeya."

He hung up finally, and before she could even ask him, he walked back into the kitchen, where she was rinsing off the soapy dishes, and

said, "Sis, would you mind if a friend of mine came over for a bit?" She kept her back turned to him as she continued rinsing dishes in the

sink. "Who is it?" "It's Jill. My partner from S.T.A.R.S." Though he didn't talk about his work to her much, she still knew of Jill Valentine quite

well. He mentioned her every time he did talk about work around her. She had a feeling that her and him were crushing on one another,

seeing as Jill was apparently single, young, and though Claire had not met her before, she guessed she was probably smoking hot,

seeing as S.T.A.R.S. members had to be in tip top shape. "Sure. I don't care." She was careful to keep her voice as kind as possible

though inside she felt things totally different. As soon as all the dishes were rinsed from their soapy bubbles and foam, she dried them off

with a towel hanging over the side of the sink, and then put them in the cabinet to her right, one by one. Claire went to her room,

grabbing her keys and her wallet, and then went straight for the front door. "Claire, where you off to?" Chris asked, his concern growing

again by the return of her distant behavior. "Out for a drink." She answered nonchalantly. As her hand turned the doorknob, he walked

over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "At what bar?" She let go of the doorknob, and turned to face him, and put her hand on her

hip as she objected, "Chris, I'm old enough to take care of myself. I'm a big girl now." Her voice was dripping with attitude. He withdrew

his hand. "I just wanna make sure you're safe. In case I need to go and get you later or something. I don't know how well you handle

your liquor." She rolled her eyes. "I can handle my liquor just fine." As she noticed that he was about to raise his arm up to say something

else, she cut him off, "J's bar. That's where I'll be." With that, she left the apartment, her boots clicking across the hard marble floor out in

the hallway.

Chris watched hopelessly as his sister's figure disappeared out the door and into the night streets. What just happened? Had he said

something wrong? Or maybe it was something he did? Whatever it was, Claire was clearly upset, and was going to drown those troubles

in alcohol at a bar a few blocks away. He wanted to go after her, to convince her to come back home and talk to him about whatever it

was that was bothering her all of a sudden. But as Claire coldly stated to him earlier… _Chris, I'm old enough to take care of myself. I'm a big_

_ girl now. _She was right. Even with his big brother instincts burning inside of him, those instincts that always wanted to protect her, she

was right. He sighed, retiring to the table where they had been very recently having the nice home cooked meal he prepared. Looking at

the wine bottle sitting on the table, he grabbed it, and shook it gently to see how much was left. The bottle was nearly half full. He

shrugged, and got up to grab one of the wine glasses in the cabinet. He sat back down, and poured himself a glass, sipping it slowly after

pouring. He felt guilty all over again, just as he had felt earlier, when Claire flinched and jumped at his acts of affection. She never used to

do that. She used to smile and talk to him, and she would even initiate some of their affections. Lay her head on his shoulder. Grab his

hand while they were walking somewhere together. Hug him when she said good morning or good night to him. It seemed that ever

since their reunion on Rockfort Island she had been acting strangely. Not so much on the island, probably due to the outbreak at hand.

But more so after their escape.

_Chris couldn't have been happier when they made it off the island. When they landed, they flagged down a cab and were brought to an_

_ apartment that Claire had been living in mostly, since he was away a lot. They got home late, around eleven. Surprisingly though, he wasn't _

_quite ready to crash in his bed which he hardly got to enjoy. He turned on the TV to watch a little mindless programming to get him more in the _

_mood to go to sleep. Claire sat down beside him, after getting a cold can of cola from the fridge. As she took a sip, he grabbed her hand, which _

_was lying lazily on the couch beside her leg. "I'm so glad I'm home with you. For the first time in a while. A long while." He looked over at her, a _

_smile glowing on his face. Something people didn't see a lot of him from him. But his smile was short lived, as soon after he intertwined their _

_fingers and said his sweet words, Claire spit out the few sips of cola she had residing in her mouth, and began to cough, trying to regain her _

_breath. "Claire, are you okay?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing with worry. She eventually stopped choking from the soda that had gone down_

_ the wrong way, and then stood up to walk over to the kitchen to grab an empty glass, which she filled with cold tap water. She drank it slowly to_

_ ensure she wouldn't have another choking fit, and after removing her lips from a side of the glass, she regained her breath._

"_Sorry about that. Drank it too fast." She apologized, putting the half full glass of water down on the counter in the kitchen. "It's alright. But are_

_ you sure you're alright?" He asked, somewhat unconvinced. She nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine." His smile returned, having been assured that all was_

_ well. "Sis, you want to watch a movie or something, since we're both still up?" "Oh um… no, I think I should turn in. You see, I'm exhausted, _

_and haven't had a real bed to sleep in since I got held prisoner on that nightmare of an island." His smile faded from his face again. That seemed_

_ to be happening a lot tonight. "Oh… well alright sis. Get some rest, you deserve it after the last few days you've had." He trailed off. He was _

_disappointed and wasn't hiding it well. But he regained composure a few seconds later. "We'll have tomorrow to watch something together. And_

_ many more days too." He was optimistic. He always had been. It was the only way he remained sane in the situations he had faced on the _

_force. But he took that from his days of work, and began to see everything that way. Even everyday life._

_He got up from the couch as well, walking over to where his sister stood by the kitchen counter. "Goodnight sis." He murmured, pulling her into_

_ a hug. She stiffened against him. She hardly even returned to his affections. He felt his disappointment from earlier returning. He didn't _

_understand why she was acting this way. Was it because he had been gone all the time before? Was she angry with him? Upset? Disappointed? _

_Or maybe she just felt disconnected because he was gone all the time. Like she couldn't depend on him. He felt his stomach twist and turn with _

_guilt. He didn't mean to make her feel like she was second to the job. That certainly was not true. And it never would be. No matter how good he_

_ was at it. But did she know that? It seemed she didn't from the way she was distancing herself from him. He eventually let go of her, and let _

_her retire to her bedroom. Once the door closed behind her, he returned to his spot on the left side of the beige couch, and grabbed the remote_

_ so he could flip channels until he found something he liked enough to watch until he got tired. All the while though, he couldn't help but feel _

_guilty. He felt like the worst older brother in the world, always leaving his baby sister behind, without a word of reasoning or explaining. He never_

_ even told her where he was, what he was doing, or when he was going. Truth is, he wasn't allowed to. The S.T.A.R.S. force was all about secrecy_

_ within the group and its members. But still, he wanted to be honest. He wanted to be able to tell her anything and everything. He trusted her _

_like he did no one else. Always had since they were children and their parents died. He just wondered if she felt the same anymore._

While spacing out, and living somewhat through his flashback, he had gone through about two glasses of wine. As he reached for the

bottle to pour himself a third, he heard a knock at the door. He got up from the table, and walked straight to the door, asking "Who is it?"

before opening it after the visitor answered, "It's Jill." The two hugged immediately. "It's great to see you again, Chris." He smiled. "It's

great to see you too, Jill."


	3. Drinking All Night

_This is a revised, and slightly different version of "How Can I Not Love You?" which I posted from a different account. If any of you have read that before and liked it enough to read the whole thing, feel free to read this. I feel it's a bit more detailed and it may differ a bit in storyline so it's worth a read. Those who have not, you're welcome to read also, but be warned. This is incest, Claire x Chris incest to be specific. So if that sort of thing grosses you out, hit the back button to return to the long list of fanfictions to choose from to find something that doesn't give you the same reaction. Anyways, R&R!_

Claire was relieved once she reached Jack's Bar, and got a seat near the bartender. "Hey." She greeted. "Hello. How are ya?" He

replied cheerfully. Will was young, probably about twenty two, flat top haircut, dark brown eyes, and cute smile. "I'm alright. Can I get a long

island?" He smiled at her. "Sure thing." He turned around, and reached for the shelves of various alcohols to begin making her drink. She

stared off into space as she waited, her thoughts wandering from place to place. She tried her best not to think about Chris. But

eventually, he came up in her subconscious. Her hands resting on the bar tightened into fists. She was so… angry. She also felt tears in

her eyes that weren't quite ready to fall, but alas, she knew they were there behind her eyes. She was also upset. And by the way her

head was whizzing from subject to subject, in attempt to distract her from what was really bothering her, she knew that she was

confused. Seeing as she was alone, and hadn't really talked to anyone about how she had been feeling lately, she too felt lonely. She

didn't know how handle all these different emotions swimming inside her all at once. So she turned to alcohol, something that would

loosen her up a bit as well as calm her nerves.

"Here you go, one long island." Will placed a freshly made iced tea right in front of her on the bar table's surface. "Thanks." She said,

before taking a long, hearty sip. It had been a while since she had a drink. The last drink she could remember was around the time Chris

left for one of his missions. She had been feeling alone, and couldn't find out much information that would help her find him. So one night

she drowned her disappointments in a few alcoholic beverages. It helped at first. But in the morning, she had one killer hangover. What

could she say though? She didn't have many other options. She had given up searching after a while. It just became too much of a

letdown. She regretted leaving Leon and Sherry after the outbreak in Raccoon City. But she just couldn't stop looking for him. Not until

she realized how useless her search was. The S.T.A.R.S. force kept all their objectives and missions top secret, and those not in it didn't

know a thing. Even with all her searching and digging around for info, she came up with little to next to nothing.

But that wasn't the only reason she felt this way. That was just the reasoning Chris had come up with as to her behavior for the past few

days. It was somewhat true, she did feel like he just went and walked out on her without so much as a proper goodbye. But there was

so much more to it, and she herself was still trying to work it out. She didn't know how, or why, or when exactly it all started happening.

But it was somewhere during their time on Rockfort Island with the insane Ashford family when he had rescued her from the cocoon she

was put in after being knocked unconscious. Things seem to get weird from there. But it mostly became prominent when they returned

home in the airplane they found that Chris piloted. That night where Chris was sitting on the couch, watching the television aimlessly to

tire himself out for bed. She jumped at his touch. All their lives they had been affectionate with each other. But now, those affections

created reactions from her that drove her crazy. Her face, her cheeks mostly, would heat up out of nowhere and she was sure that it

accompanied by scarlet coloring rising to her pale skin. Her heart would thump like mad in her chest and her breathing would become

labored and inconsistent, as if she had had been underwater for too long and finally surfaced for air. Her stomach would fill with

butterflies, as if she was a small child entering the first day of school and was filled with tons of anxiety and excitement all at the same

time. There was no denying it. The truth was spread out quite clearly, whether she wanted to believe it or not. She was in love with her

brother.

She didn't know how to handle it the first night they got back, and she didn't know how to handle it now either. But she knew at some

point she would have to go back home. Thinking of home got her thinking about Jill. "Another long island please." She requested, feeling

her stress levels go up as her thought topics shifted. "You got it." Will complied, going to the back with the shelves of liquor to prepare

her second glass of alcohol. She wondered what they were doing. Were they talking? Catching up? Or were they doing something? She

tried to keep this particular thought brief. She didn't want to picture, let alone even have the idea cross of her mind of Chris sleeping with

Jill. She hoped and prayed that she wouldn't walk in on anything when she finally did go home. But with any luck, she would be drunk, or

at least tipsy enough not to care even if there was a show waiting for her at home. "Long island." He said, smiling as he placed her

second one on the table directly in front of her. "Thank you." She wasted no time in getting stared on this drink either. She needed it. Her

mind was filled with all her worries right now. There were no distractions of any sort to steer her away from her troubles, not even

temporarily, to her misfortune. Her second drink turned into a third. The third into a fourth. By this time, she was definitely tipsy. As she

raised a hand to ask for another, Will, the friendly and kind bartender that he was shook his head "No." "Sorry. You've had four. I'm

cutting you off. You should head home."

Seeing as he was the only bartender here on duty at the moment, Claire bitterly decided to take his advice, and headed for the front

door. Heading outside into the cool night air, she was surprised when she saw a familiar face walking right up to her from the right side of

the sidewalk. "Claire." They said her name, and then grabbed her shoulders, holding her firmly in place to stop her from falling. "Oh it's

you." She said in a very unimpressed tone. He was hurt by her attitude toward him right now, but figured the alcohol loosened her up,

and thus, she was more likely to say whatever came to mind, rather than thinking it through first. "Yes it's me. Like I wasn't going to come

to make sure you got home okay." He normally wasn't sarcastic, but at this point in time, he utilized it. He wrapped his arm around her,

and began to walk with her home, steadying her body weight onto him so she wouldn't fall. On the way home she didn't say much, and

neither did he. Honestly, he was unsure of what to say. He still hadn't managed to fix the problem between his baby sis and himself, and

on top of that, he now had to care for her and make sure she would recover from the drinking she had been doing. He wasn't sure how

much she had had but from her shaky composure and slurred speech he assumed at least enough to get a buzz on. Not completely

drunk, like I won't remember what happened the next day drunk though.

Once they were home, Claire spoke again, as she looked around, after Chris placed her laying down on the couch in the living room.

"Where's Jill? Didn't she come over?" He nodded, sitting down next to her spread out figure on the couch. "Yeah. She did. But she left

after we caught up over a glass of wine." "You going to see her again sometime soon?" The alcohol made things sampler for Claire. She

simply said whatever came to mind, rather than over thinking it and deciding whether or not to say it out loud or just keep it to herself. "I

don't know. The next time I see her I'll be attending her wedding probably. She asked me to be one of the people who speaks at the

ceremony. I agreed. But she's not sure when it is yet. So it's hard to say." Though a bit intoxicated, Claire clearly heard what he said. Jill?

Married? To Who? Again, her careless attitude shined through as she parted her lips to ask, "Who is she marrying?" "A mercenary she

met during the outbreak in Raccoon City. She said his name is Carlos." She sat in silence for a bit. It turned out Jill had come over to give

news, not to screw her brother. She bit her lip. She had jumped to conclusions. But still… just because Jill was marrying another man

didn't mean Chris didn't have some sort of feelings for her. "How do you feel about it?" He took a little while to answer. But he was

honest. He had no reason to lie really. "Well.. I admit I screwed up. When she invited me out for a drink a few months ago when I had a

night or two off, I blew her off cause I had work to do. I was doing overtime. I thought she'd never talk to me again." He trailed off. She

could hear the guilt in his voice. He had definitely realized his mistake. "But… she forgave me. We're still friends. She said she'd keep in

touch. And she said that that same night, she ran into this guy who she hadn't seen for about two months and they hit it off pretty well.

Next thing you know he asked her out. Fast forward several months later and bam. They're engaged, and planning their wedding."

"It just made me realize… how much time I've wasted on work. No matter what love comes first. And I love you Claire. You've always

come first in my life. And you always will. I don't know if you know that. But it's the truth." He reached out for her hand, and grabbed it

gently, gazing down at her lying down figure. "I'm sorry if I've ever made you feel any different." Claire felt those tears, waiting to be

shed, but not quite ready to spill beginning to bud in the bottoms of her eyes. He finally realized. He realized what she had been feeling

all this time. Not the secret crush, but the frustration she felt looking for him all that time just to find no traces whatsoever. All her

searching ever did was put her in danger, from the outbreak to being held prisoner on that island. "Now you understand…" She

whispered. She sat up, now facing him, and she slapped him across the face, hard. "After all this time... now you realize!" Her voice had

gone up a few pitches, and though she was not screaming, she was very close to yelling. He felt his left cheek stinging with pain where

she had introduced the palm of her right hand to. He didn't blame her though. She had every right to be upset. To be angry. He

understood completely now. He just wish that he had understood sooner to prevent her from this pain she held inside for so long. Chris

soon after heard her softly sobbing. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to slap you so hard, I swear." She touched his cheek, cupping it gently in

her hand with concern and guilt swimming in her blue eyes. He shook his head. "No, it's okay. I deserved it." He placed his hands on her

shoulders, pulling her into his arms. "But... please don't cry." He pleaded. He hated seeing her like this. He didn't see it very

often, but the few times he did, it tore him up inside. But it was no use. Once the tears started falling, they wouldn't stop. After holding

her for a moment, he spoke up again, a sudden idea striking him.

"Hold on, I think I have something that might make you smile." He removed himself from her arms gently to go excuse himself to the

kitchen, where he grabbed something from under the table, and brought it back to her. What was it? The wrapped gift, red wrapping

paper, complete with a small silver bow. He placed it in her hands. "I've been meaning to give this to you for a while." She gazed at it,

curiosity burning inside of her. What was he giving her? Well there was only one way to find out, so she didn't waste another moment

just thinking about what it could have been. She unwrapped it, pulling its paper in different directions until it all came off of the white thin

box underneath it all. Pulling the top of the box up and out of the way, she gasped as her eyes beheld an apple red sleeveless dress with

thin straps, its length reaching just above the knee. "I know you don't particularly like dresses. But it is your favorite color. And I figured

you could pair it with a black leather jacket and it would be perfect for you." He shyly added as she looked at the dress up and down,

holding it out in front of her curiously. She smiled at him. "That would look good together." She agreed. He lightly chuckled at this. He

knew her all too well it seemed. "Thanks though. This means a lot, really." He nodded, shrugging slightly, a smile too appearing on his

face. "You're welcome. You deserve it." He began to wipe away her tears with his thumb as her crying subsided.

They sat in silence for a bit, and Claire began to look tired. Chris decided that she should retire to her room to get some sleep. He picked

her up, bridal style, and brought her into her room. As he was about to place her on the bed, she murmured his name. "Chris." "Mhm?"

Eyes half open, half closed, she cupped his face with her small hands, and leaned into his cheek. He froze, wondering what she was

doing. When she rested her lips at his cheek his nerves calmed a bit. But a few seconds later, her head moved again, and this time, she

moved to the left slowly. To a left a bit more. To the left a tad bit more. And finally, her lips, thin, parted, and still tasting of long island iced

tea, met his larger, closed, and still tasting of the wine they drank with dinner. It was surreal for the both of them. Claire felt all sorts of

sparks, almost like she was being shocked, but in a good way as she her lips moved up against his slowly. Chris felt like a statue. He

didn't know what to do. This was so foreign to him. Should he pull away? Or just let it happen? He didn't want to suddenly drop her. Or

have her knock him back somehow and then both of them would go falling down. He was completely caught off guard and by surprise by

her sudden intimate affections. Soon, she pulled away, and he put her down on the bed so she could sleep for the night. Without another

word, he left her room, closing the door behind him, and headed for the wine bottle again. He shook it gently to check the supply, and

figured there was enough left for at least one last glass of wine. He might as well finish it off anyway. Especially with the night he'd been

having. As he partook in more wine drinking, he wondered if the previous actions were those of the intoxication from both her and him.

They both had been drinking tonight after all. But only the sober morning would tell whether their actions were their own or encouraged

by the plentiful amounts of alcohol in their systems. Figuring there was nothing he could do about it now, his mind then wandered to Jill's

visit.

_The two parted from their "It's been so long since I've since you" embrace and Chris then walked over to the dining table, pulling out a chair, and_

_ motioning his hand to it as he said, "Have a seat." Jill smiled. He hadn't changed a bit. He was still a gentlemen. "Thank you." She gratefully _

_accepted his request, gently plopping down into the seat he had offered her. "Can I get you anything? I cooked earlier. Would you like some _

_food?" She shook her head "No". "I ate earlier, but thank you." He nodded in understanding. "How about a glass of wine?" She grinned from ear_

_ to ear. "Sure, that would be nice." He grabbed another clean wine glass from the cabinet in the kitchen, and put it on the table in front of her. He_

_ grabbed the wine bottle, and poured it steadily, until it was half way full. "Thanks Chris." She took a hearty sip from the glass, and upon pulling _

_her lips away, she mused, "Where'd you get this from? It's pretty good." He took a seat across from her, and thought for a moment to search _

_for the answer to her question. "I've had it a while, so it's hard to say. I don't quite remember. But I have been saving it for a special occasion. _

_And well, I cooked dinner for Claire tonight, since we're living together again, for the first time in years. So the wine was appropriate I thought." _

_Jill smiled at this. He had always talked about his sister, and how much he missed her when they were on missions for the force. She also knew_

_ it meant the world to him to be at home again around her. She could see the glow in his eyes. He was happy. And she was glad that he was. He _

_deserved to be. _

_She took another sip, this time finishing off the glass. Chris poured her another one without her even having to ask. She gave him a gratuitous _

_nod. "Chris, like I said on the phone, I have some news." He remained silent, patiently waiting to hear what it was that she couldn't tell him _

_over the phone. He was optimistic though, so he wasn't worried or concerned. He was just curious what was going on with his partner. "Well, _

_before I tell you, I want to say that I forgive you for that night. I couldn't call you for a while because I was hurt. Then I was frustrated. But after _

_giving myself time to calm down, I realized that I can't hold a grudge over one night that didn't go as planned." They both knew very well what _

_night she was talking about. A few months ago, Jill had invited Chris out for a drink. He accepted, and Jill dolled herself up and headed for the _

_bar. She waited and waited. Nothing. She waited some more. Still nothing. More waiting. Nada. She gets impatient, and heads for the door, _

_heading out into the cool night. As she does, her phone rings, and it's him. She can't answer the phone fast enough. "Hello?" She calls out, her _

_mood shifting all at once from low to high. "Jill. I'm sorry but I don't think I can make it tonight." Her hopes get brought back down all over _

_again. She feels as if she's been on a rollercoaster as her stomach twists and turns with nausea. How could he do this? As he speaks again, _

_asking if she still there, she chokes out through the sobbing fit that's inevitably coming on, "It's fine, Chris. Bye." She presses the red end call_

_ button, and the rest is history. _

"_Jill… I'm sorry. I was an asshole. I should have shown up that night, no matter what. And I didn't. I let you down." He reached out for her _

_hand, which lay on the table next to her filled wine glass. She did not pull away, much to his surprise. She placed her other hand on top of his. "I _

_forgive you. Don't beat yourself up over it. What's in the past is in the past." He had hurt a few people with his work ethic. His guilt trip subsided_

_ when he took note of her smiling face across the table. If she could forgive him, then maybe he could forgive himself too. She pulled her hands _

_away to gulp down a bit of her second glass of wine. After swallowing, she spoke again. "Chris, my big news to tell you is… I'm engaged." He felt_

_ his mouth part, and it was probably hanging open a bit from what he could tell. He was dumbfounded to be honest. "Really? That's great!" He _

_got up from his chair, and hugged her closely. She smiled at his reaction. At least he was happy for her. When he pulled away, she said, "It's _

_this mercenary I met during an outbreak in Raccoon City, if you were wondering who." He hugged her again on impulse. "Congratulations Jill."_

_ He murmured. She felt her smile grow in size on her face. "I don't know when it is yet but I'll definitely send invites so you and Claire can _

_attend." _

It had definitely been an eventful evening. Finishing off the last glass of the specially saved wine, he walked to the fridge to grab some

ice cubes, put them into a zip up bag, and pressed that ice filled bag on his cheek which still stung from Claire's hand connecting with it

earlier. He laid down on the couch, and without even realizing how tired he was prior, he drifted off to sleep, the TV still going on low

volume.


	4. Hung Over

_This is a revised, and slightly different version of "How Can I Not Love You?" which I posted from a different account. If any of you have read that before and liked it enough to read the whole thing, feel free to read this. I feel it's a bit more detailed and it may differ a bit in storyline so it's worth a read. Those who have not, you're welcome to read also, but be warned. This is incest, Claire x Chris incest to be specific. So if that sort of thing grosses you out, hit the back button to return to the long list of fanfictions to choose from to find something that doesn't give you the same reaction. Anyways, R&R!_

Claire awoke, turning in both directions as she rose slowly in a bit of a daze. "Chris…" She whispered his name, and as she looked around for him, she sighed.

It wasn't real. It had all been in her head. She reached a hand up, running one delicate finger across her lips, trailing along the curve of her bottom lip, and

then her top. It had felt real though. She could remember how the curve of his lips was lined, how his lips felt soft and warm, how he smelled like aftershave,

and how his body felt pressed up against hers. He was so muscular, so toned. She remembered that the room was quiet, and every now and again the sound

of cars honking outside chimed through the silence. But it couldn't have been real. Last night, she was a little tipsy from the long islands, and had gotten home

safely by the generous and overprotective hand of her brother, who probably put her straight to bed once he escorted her stumbling self to their apartment

complex. There was no way he would have kissed her, and when she was drunk she normally wasn't the nicest

person to be around. When she got tipsy even. She tended to be more outspoken, and in her case that meant she would kind of turn into a bitch that didn't

think twice about what she said before putting it out there for those around her to hear.

She sighed, looking down at herself, and realizing that she had fallen asleep in her clothes again. That seemed to be happening a lot lately. She turned her

head to her alarm clock on the nightstand, which read 11:46 AM. Almost noon. She got out of bed, and walked over to her closet to grab some clean clothes.

As she did, she came across a white box, sitting on the floor to the right of the closet doors. _What's this? _She wondered, picking it up and taking the box top

off it to see what was inside. Her eyes took in a medium length, gorgeous red dress that had no sleeves and had two straps for support. As she looked at it in

both astonishment as well as bewilderment, she began to question where it had come from. She knew she hadn't bought it herself, and she didn't remember

getting any dresses as presents recently. She ran a hand through her hair, taking the thin scrunchie out as her wispy hair fell to her shoulders. Well, this was

only adding to her stress. This and the throbbing in her head, as well as the aching in her limbs. Hangovers were fun… not.

_Just what the hell happened last night?_ All she remembered was that Chris had come to Jack's Bar to "make sure she was alright" and escorted her home.

Everything else was a blur. The only thing clear to her right now was the dream she had woken up from just moments ago, and she wished she couldn't

remember that. It was too torturous. She was already battling her feelings for him, and the dream did nothing but intensify them and render her all the more

powerless to the situation. She tossed the box containing the dress to the floor carelessly, as she went back to her original task, picking out some clothes to

change into after a shower. She needed to relax. Anymore stress and she'd be right back in the bar again, drinking without a care, and then waking up and

not remembering things. Grabbing a pair of light blue jean shorts, a plain black v neck, and some sheer black tights, she headed for the bathroom for her

shower. She didn't care what she wore right now honestly. She didn't plan on leaving this house today, thanks to her hangover symptoms. She just wanted to

change her clothes after her shower which she felt she desperately needed. Both because she hadn't since yesterday morning, and also because a shower

would probably help her feel a little better at least. As she made her way to the bathroom, she noticed a piece of notebook paper on the surface of the kitchen

table cloth. Curiously, she walked over to it, taking it into her hands, her eyes scanning over its contents.

_Claire,_

_Going out for a bit. Will be back later._

_- Chris_

She rolled her eyes, tossing the note to the floor, and heading over to the bathroom to have her shower. She was so used to him leaving without a word; this

didn't come as a surprise. And there was no telling where he had gone to or when he'd back. He never bothered to tell her anything. And here she was,

feeling miserable from her hangover, and he goes out all willy nilly. _Gee thanks, Chris_. She bitterly thought. She stripped herself of her flame leather jacket,

matching pants, and cropped top and hopped into the running shower. After rinsing off her favorite body wash, she dried off, and dressed into her v neck, blue

jean shorts, and sheer black tights. She decided to leave her hair down, figuring her head didn't need any more strain on it. The throbbing in her temples was

doing enough to her on its own. She opened the bathroom cabinet, taking two pills from the pain killers bottle. She went to grab a glass from the kitchen

cabinet to fill with cold tap water. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before popping the small, white pills into her mouth, and following them with a

small swallow of water. She tried to be slow and calm, as to not agitate the current nausea in her stomach. God knows she didn't want these pills to come

right back up. Nor did she want to worsen her headache by vomiting viciously over the sink or toilet, whichever she could make it to first. Thankfully though,

she managed to get the pills down, and she poured out the remaining water in the glass into the sink, and then placed the glass in the left side of the sink.

She would wash it later, when she was feeling a bit better. Right now she needed to lay down for a bit.

_xxxxxx_

Chris was out and about, with no destination in mind. He just needed some time to himself. Last night had been a whirlwind of events for him. First, Jill comes

over to tell him that she's engaged. Then, he goes to pick up Claire, who struts off to a bar after finding out that his partner from S.T.A.R.S. is coming over.

Finally, he escorts her home out of worry and concern for her well-being, and when they get home, she confronts him about his work ethic. She even slaps him,

which even now he still feels, the stinging now an ache in his cheek, and visibly now slightly purple from bruising instead of red from the initial contact. Having

apologized and calmed her down, he takes her to her room so she can sleep off the alcohol. She kisses him. Why, he's not sure. Could have been the alcohol

surely. But even so, he doesn't know what to make of it, or how to handle it. He doesn't want to lose his baby sister. She means the world to him. She's all he

has left to live for.

Perhaps though, she won't remember. He feels relief when this possibility crosses his mind. That would certainly make things easier for him. But he knows

this could also be false, and perhaps just wishful thinking on his part. Alcohol may or may not cause amnesia of the night before. Even if it did, would Claire

remember the events at any time? Maybe if something was done or said to jog her memory. But most likely, no right? He dug his hands into his jeans pockets,

closing his eyes as he shook his head in frustration. All this was doing was driving him insane. He wouldn't know anything until he saw Claire. He stopped, and

turned around, heading back to their house. He had more than enough time to wander around aimlessly. He needed to get back to reality now. But before

returning home, he had a stop to make.

_xxxxx_

_Claire came home her shift at a nearby bar, her favorite pair of brown cowboy boots clicking against the marble floor in the hallway of the apartment her brother and_

_ herself lived in. She wore a basic black v neck and blue jeans, and her chestnut hair was tied up in a ponytail to keep it out of her face. As she reached their apartment_

_ door, she pulled out her keys from her back pocket, and unlocked the door, closing it behind her gently in case her brother was sleeping. He had been having a lot of _

_long days lately at the R.C.P.D. She noticed that the TV was off, and that the couch a few feet away from it was empty. She raised a curious eyebrow at this. Had her_

_ older brother actually taken her advice? She had scolded him time and time again about falling asleep on the couch. He had a room, and a bed, all to himself and yet he_

_ chose to sleep on the couch every night. She then walked over to Chris' bedroom door, which was closed. She put her ear up to the door, waiting to hear his heavy _

_snore fest she had grown so used to hearing, and was baffled when she heard no snoring. He wasn't still up was he? Or was he still at the station? She gently pushed_

_ the door open, and turned on the lights noticing the room was pitch black._

_"Chris?" She softly called out._

_His bed was empty. He must have still been at work. Enraged, she bolted out of his room and then proceeded into her own room to grab a jacket since the air outside_

_had turned cool from night fall. She grabbed her blue jean jacket from her closet, tossing a few items on her bed while looking for it. As she threw jacket on, she _

_sighed, and went to __put back the miscellaneous items of clothing she had strewn about on her bed. Grabbing a pair of blue jean shorts, some black leggings, and a red _

_v neck, she saw a __piece of notebook paper with words written in black ink sitting on the bed, previously covered by the throw clothing. She put the clothing back into _

_her closet, and then __returned to her bedside to read the letter._

_**Claire,**_

_**By the time you read this I will be long gone. I wish I could tell you why but I simply can't. By taking this job as a part of the S.T.A.R.S. force, I'm not**_

_** allowed to disclose any information about the missions or objectives we're involved in. You're my baby sis, and you mean the world to**_

_** me, and so much more. I trust you more than anyone else in this entire world, and yet I cannot tell you where I am going or what I'm doing or **_

_**why. It hurts me just as much as it hurts you, if not more. If that wasn't enough to tear me up inside, I grow sad when I think of how long it might **_

_**be before I see you again. I'll truly miss seeing your smile in the morning when we eat breakfast together and laughing with you on the couch at **_

_**night when we're watching some cheesy horror movie among the other wonderful times I enjoy with you. But Claire, know that I love you, and **_

_**that I need for you to not go looking for me. I don't want you to get hurt. Where I'm going it might not be safe, in fact, it's almost a guarantee that **_

_**I'll be encountering danger where I'm headed. But I will be careful, as I always have been, and no matter what, I will see you again, sis. I mean it, **_

_**Claire. That's a promise.**_

_**- Chris**_

_**By the way, check underneath your pillow. I left you a little something. Well, two somethings actually. **_

_Claire put the letter down finally, after having read it a few times for clarity, and finally walked over to her pillows to check for the things he left her aside from the _

_letter. Under her cream cotton pillow was a pinkish red sleeveless vest, and on the back of it read the words "Made In Heaven" with an angel underneath the words_

_stitched. There was a pair of matching shorts which were the same pinkish red color. There was also a lighter, a golden yellow in color, and sporting the S.T.A.R.S. logo _

_engraved on one side of it. It must have been Chris'. As she held the things he had left for her, she felt tears well up in her eyes, and soon, they were spilling, and _

_cascading down her pale cheeks, and rolling off her chin onto her v neck. How could he just leave her like this? He didn't even give a proper goodbye. A hug would have_

_ been nice. A notice would have been nice too. He could have warned her he was going to be gone. But no, he just winds up gone one night she's out working at the _

_bar and leaves a note and these gifts? She was beyond upset. Chris had been the only person she could rely on since their parents died when they were children. And _

_now he was leaving her too for god knows how long. She collapsed onto her bed, her sobs growing in intensity, and her tears pouring in more plentiful amounts, _

_tossing the lighter and the matching vest and shorts to the floor below. She muffled her cries into one of her pillows and her breathing become more and more labored._

_ Every so often she had a coughing fit due to the over exertion of her lungs at the moment. _

"_Claire."_

_She paused. Chris? She could have sworn that it was his voice calling out her name. She looked around her room but saw no sign of her brother. She began to cry _

_again, this time harder, __since it seemed her mind had played a cruel joke on her. Chris was still gone, and probably would be for a long while. How was she going to _

_make it without him? She __had no idea._

_"Claire."_

_There it was again. She popped her head up again, this time more aggressively, and when she saw nothing yet again, she huffed in frustration, practically burying her _

_face into her pillow after realizing he was still gone and nowhere to be found._

_"You're so selfish, Chris! Why'd you have to leave me?"_

_"Claire."_

_"Just leave me alone… please.", She whispered, feeling utterly defeated by the whole situation. _

"Just leave me alone… please." She murmured in her sleep. "Claire… no. I won't." Chris said, gently grabbing one of her hands, and holding it at his side. He

knew she must have been having a nightmare to have uttered such words. It reminded him of their childhood days when they both were trying to get

adjusted to life without their mother and father who passed away in their adolescence. Claire took it especially hard, and when she finally drifted off to sleep

on her tear stained pillow, her dreams were filled with her parents, usually of their death, and how she nor her brother could do anything to stop it. He usually

stayed by her bedside until she fell asleep, but he stayed there even after she had drifted off to sleep. He would comfort her when he saw she was having a

nightmare, caress her cheek, hold her hand, and sometimes he said things to her like "You're not alone." or "It's okay. I'm here." Usually one or a combination

of a gesture and some kind words did the trick, and her previously distressed face would fade away into that of content.

Claire soon woke up, her brother's face being the first thing to come into view after the temporary blurriness. "Hey." He greeted with a small smile on his face.

"Hi." She hesitantly mumbled. "I made you some soup, sis. I figured the hangover might leave you nauseous. But you need to eat something. And it's nice and

light, so it should be fine." She groaned, closing her eyes again, as she covered her face with her pillow. She didn't want to be bothered with eating the way

her stomach felt, let alone being around her brother who had decided to just leave. "I'm not in the mood." She said, her reply a bit muffled from her face being

buried into her pillow. "Claire, come on. You gotta eat, don't cha? Besides, it'll probably help you feel better. You're running on nothing but alcohol right now

probably. You haven't eaten anything since last night, as far as I know." As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Her stomach was running on empty

right now, which of course did not help the nausea swimming in the pit of her abdomen. "No." She protested. "Alright, if you're gonna act like a child, I'm gonna

have to treat you like one." He said in a stern voice. The next thing she knew, he was grabbing her, and throwing her over his shoulder, as he headed for the

kitchen. "Hey!" Claire objected, her legs kicking slightly against him. He chuckled. "I asked you nicely, you know. Twice."

Chris led her to the kitchen table, where her bowl of chicken and rice soup rested, as well as a glass of ginger ale and a spoon. He pulled out her chair, and

placed her figure in it gently. He then sat in one of the chairs across from hers. As mad as she was at him for leaving a random note and not saying anything at

all to her, along with that dream bringing back painful memories, she just couldn't stay angry with him. He was so… nice. So kind. He always had been. Though

he had his flaws, like letting his work become his life, as well as not telling people, even those he was close to, what was going on with him, he also had his

strengths. His kindness was definitely one of them. He always did things for her, ever since they were children. He took care of her, made sure she was safe,

made sure she was okay, no matter what. She bit her lip, before blowing on her first spoonful of soup before putting it to her mouth so she could sip it. It was

good, and it didn't agitate her twisting and turning stomach. She contently began eating quietly as Chris silently watched her. He was glad she was okay, he

felt like an ass for leaving while he knew she would be hung over from last night. He just needed time to think. Though he hadn't come up with a clear solution

or answer to what had happened, having time to himself was nice, and he felt he needed it for his sanity's sake. Besides, he was here now, and Claire

seemed fine. She was just exhausted and probably achy too judging by the fact that she just didn't want to get out of bed. She was nauseous as well, but he

expected that, which is why he picked up soup and ginger ale before heading back here.

"Sis, how are you feeling? Is the soup sitting okay with your stomach?" He hoped that eating something light was helping to both keep her from getting sicker

from not eating properly; but also, he prayed that it hadn't upset her uneasy stomach. She shrugged. "I'm not nauseous. And I do feel a little better now that

I'm eating." She took a sip from her half full glass of ginger ale before speaking again. "Thanks Chris." He nodded politely, and soon got lost in his thoughts

this time, rather than in his sister's appearance. "Chris." He snapped out of his trance when she called his name. "Hmm?" He answered. "Your cheek… it's

bruised. What happened?" He froze. It seemed she had taken note of his physical features during his spacing out. And she must not have remembered what

happened last night clearly or at all. Therefore she questioned the physical evidence left behind by the events of the night prior.

He could have told her the truth, but he feared that if he did, she may remember everything that took place last night. And he didn't want that. So, as much as

he hated lying, he decided upon this option in his panic. "Well, you know before you left for your drink Jill had called and I invited her over?" Claire nodded.

"She kinda… slapped me during her visit." It wasn't a complete lie. Jill had come over. She just hadn't slapped him, though he felt she could have gotten a hit in

too for his all work and no play attitude. "What? Why?" She wondered what would cause his partner to become violent with him. "For being a jerk this one

night she invited me out. I deserved it." He kept his answer brief. He didn't want to dwell on it. Jill had forgiven him, and now he how to forgive himself. He felt

her hand lay on top of his which lay lazily on the table in front of him. "Don't say that. You're not a jerk. And you don't deserve to be hit." He felt some relief

from her words as well as her tone, which was gentle and soothing. She didn't hate him. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He

finally felt like he could breathe.

She got up from her seat, and went over to the fridge, gathering some ice from an ice tray and then a zip up bag from one of the cabinets. She filled the

empty, see through bag with the plentiful amount of ice cubes, and then brought it to Chris' bruised cheek. "Here." She mused, hovering over him as she held

the ice pack against his injured jaw. As the cold compress pressed against his cheek, he stared up at his sister, standing over him to hold the ice bag to his

face. He couldn't help but notice that Claire had left her hair down. She almost never did that, unless she was about to go to sleep. Today thought it was

probably because she was lying around with her hangover symptoms. Still though, she looked beautiful. It wasn't often he saw her like this. The way her hair

cascaded past her shoulders. Since she had been sleeping and most likely tossing and turning, her hair was a little wispy, but it was cute, in his opinion. She

was definitely beautiful. "You should leave you hair down more often. It's beautiful." He murmured.

Claire felt her face getting hot all over again. Just when she thought her feelings for him were fading, or at least calming down enough so that she could live

life without much interruption, this happens. He had just called her beautiful.. or rather, her hair. But still. He had given her a compliment. What made it even

more special was the fact that she had been laying around due to her hangover symptoms. She definitely wasn't dressed to impress, but he still found her to

be attractive looking. "Claire, if you don't mind me asking… what were you dreaming about?" His question shook her out of her wandering thoughts. "Ohh

um…" She trailed off. She didn't know whether she should tell him or not. It wasn't exactly something she wanted to talk about, and she knew he wouldn't like

the topic very much either. But his eyes were attempting to see past her clamored demeanor. She sighed. "I just had a flashback of the night you left…" She

admitted, turning her back to him, and crossing her arms. "You dreamed about that?" Chris felt his heart sink. Her nightmare involved his leaving. He felt like a

monster for causing his baby sister such pain. She nodded, feeling tears in her eyes, but she held them back by blinking frequently. But her voice began to

crack, despite her attempts to hide her emotional break down, "I-I've dreamed a-about th-that a f-few times, a-actually." Chris stood up from his chair, putting

the ice pack down on the table near Claire's half-finished bowl of soup and glass of ginger ale, and walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her frame, and

nuzzling his head into the crook of her shoulder. "Claire, I'm sorry I hurt you." He couldn't have been more sincere. Though he had apologized in the past, this

apology in particular was much different. When he held her, and uttered those words, he remembered her sleeping figure, and the words she spoke in her

slumber. _Leave me alone… please._

"I miss how things used to be. And I just hope that the difference in our relationship isn't because you hate my guts… I know I let you down. So I just ask for

your forgiveness and a second chance." He had finally said it. It had been bothering him since their return from the island where the Ashford family wreaked

havoc. Claire turned around to face him, as she took hold of his hands, cradling them in front of her. "Chris, I could never hate you." She smiled at him, and he

smiled right back at her. It was a relief for the both of them to hear those words. It felt like the tension in their home was finally gone. Well, most of it, anyway.

Though she didn't like his overworking himself, she could never hate him. Maybe dislike him, but never hate him. "And… I do forgive you. I'm not the type to

hold a grudge, especially when it comes to those I care about. As for a second chance, you've been proving yourself a lot to me lately. You saved me from that

crazy island and you've been doing all these nice things for me at home. You even came to J's Bar to make sure I was alright when I decided to go get tipsy

out of the blue. I couldn't ask for a better brother." Chris felt his smile grow in size, if that was even possible. He felt so much better hearing her say these

things. She meant the world to him, as did her happiness. He was happy that the things he had done for her meant something to her.

"Chris… you haven't done anything wrong. It's me who's causing the tension between us." She admitted, her smile disappearing from her face. His own smile

soon faded from his cheeks as well. "Is something bothering you, Claire?" He asked. He had been open and honest with her, and he expected nothing but the

same from her. He patiently stood there, waiting for an answer. "I just… ever since we got back home from the island, I've been feeling as though…" As the

latter words lay just on the tip of her tongue, she felt her stomach begin to brew with sudden nausea. "I'm gonna throw up!" She announced, her hands

pulling away from his as she ran to the bathroom to kneel over the toilet and vomit the spoonful's of soup and sips of ginger ale she had consumed just

moments ago down the stool. Chris sighed, and walked over to where she sat on the bathroom floor to hold her hair out of her face as she puked every few

moments between the labored breathing. It seemed like he would never know just what was going on with her, and what was causing the weird tension

between them since they had returned home for a normal life again.


	5. Tell Me

_This is a revised, and slightly different version of "How Can I Not Love You?" which I posted from a different account. If any of you have read that before and liked it enough to read the whole thing, feel free to read this. I feel it's a bit more detailed and it may differ a bit in storyline so it's worth a read. Those who have not, you're welcome to read also, but be warned. This is incest, Claire x Chris incest to be specific. So if that sort of thing grosses you out, hit the back button to return to the long list of fanfictions to choose from to find something that doesn't give you the same reaction. Anyways, R&R!_

Night soon fell, and in Claire's room was Claire, sleeping through her hell of a hangover, with Chris sitting on her bedside, holding her hand as she slumbered.

Every half an hour, Chris would soak the towel which had gone warm after laying on his sister's forehead for a while in cold water, and put it back on her

feverishly warm head. He was worried about her. He had been since last night when he found her stumbling out of J's Bar. He had made sure she got home

okay. And now, he had to take care of her while she battled the aftermath of her drinking from the night before. Seeing her bedridden from both exhaustion

and the aching of her body as well as having to watch as she ran to the toilet to puke viciously after eating a bit of the soup and sipping the ginger ale he had

brought her home for her nauseous stomach. He hadn't experienced this before, but regardless, he was going to stick it out, and do the best he could. He had

been taking care of his baby sister his whole life almost, and he wasn't going to stop now. As he gazed at his sister's peaceful, slumbering face from time to

time, he wondered what it was she was going to say to him before the nausea kicked in out of nowhere. The words she uttered before bolting to the toilet

echoed through his head over and over. _"I just… ever since we got back home from the island, I've been feeling as though…" _What was it she was feeling? He just

couldn't put the pieces of the puzzle together for some reason.

There was so much there to concern him about his and his sister's relationship. She flinched at his touch, whether it was him embracing her goodnight or even

running his fingers through her hair. She avoided or quickly brushed off his concerned actions whether it was him grabbing her arm or simply asking if she was

alright. And to top it all off, she had kissed him when he was about to put her to bed to sleep off the alcohol in her system. As he reminisced over all of his

baby sister's recent actions, it all began to make sense. The red headed man sporting a black button up and green cargo pants appeared in his head. He didn't

know the guy's name, Claire had never mentioned it to him. But he did remember seeing him at one point talking to his sister, and she had mentioned that she

had a "friend" she needed to find because that Alfred Ashford, Alexia, whatever he or she was had taken him hostage too. As he thought about it, he realized

that a friend never showed up it when it was time for them to go home, away from the nightmare on the island. Did Claire never find him? Or had he become

zombie chow? Or worse? There was no telling with those Ashfords. He remembered seeing Alexia turn into some sort of creature, engulfed in flames, as

Wesker "demanded" her to give him the T-Virus. They were all crazy, and didn't know what they were dealing with. Chris looked over at Claire again, his

eyebrows furrowing in concern. Did Claire miss her friend? Is that why she had been acting so cold? So different? As he thought about it some more for clarity's

sake, Chris' mind wandered to the kiss, and his eyes widened. She had been tipsy from the alcohol, and was rather tired, so her senses were probably

distorted. She didn't know who she was kissing. She must have thought she was kissing Steve. Perhaps Steve was more to her than a friend. Perhaps even a

lover. Chris sighed, as he gently whispered her name in his mind.

_Claire…_

It seemed his sister had lost her lover one way or another to that hellish island. His hand gripped onto hers a little tighter, and he laced their fingers together.

She was a strong girl. But he had known her, her whole life. She couldn't fool him. Though she was handling it better than most people would, she had been

acting different lately, and he knew why now. _Poor Claire._ He thought to himself. Death wasn't an easy thing to deal with. He knew all too well. Though he had

to be strong when their parents died, he was deeply scarred from it. He sometimes cried but he did it late at night when his baby sister had drifted off to sleep

peacefully, and he made sure she wasn't having nightmares about their fallen parents. She was the very reason he had learned to cope with their death, and

without her, he didn't know who he would have been today. And he knew the same to be true for her. She got through the pain because of him. They had

each other, and nobody else. Now things had changed a little, seeing as he had his S.T.A.R.S. partner, and she had met a police officer in the Raccoon City

nightmare who she escaped with. But even so, their bond was unbreakable, even after all these years.

His mind soon wandered back to Claire's friend, or rather, her lover. He pondered about what kind of personality Steve had. Claire had a bit of an edge to her

seeing as she was a little bit of a tomboy, never dressing girly in pink and hardly wearing dresses. She loved her motorcycle, and had a bit of a biker chick

sense of style when it came to her wardrobe. She always wore her hair up in a ponytail too unless she was going to bed for the night. But even with her

edginess, she had a good heart, and could be kind, especially when it came to children. He remembered Claire mentioning something about a little girl named

Sherry, who had lost both her parents to the G-Virus, and how she brought her along with herself and Leon in their escape on the tram. So whoever this guy

was, he had to be brave just like her, and also have a good heart. He didn't necessarily need to ride a motorcycle though.

Chris soon found himself staring at Claire again, this time at her lips. He looked away immediately upon realizing what he was doing, his cheeks turning scarlet

and burning with heat. That kiss… her lips were so soft, so delicate… it was the most intimate part of her personality. Behind the tomboy, biker chick persona

she had, she was kind and caring. And though he already knew this beforehand from growing up with her, the kiss further highlighted it for him. Well, whoever

this guy was that she had lost, he was lucky for getting to kiss her like that. He shook his head to himself, his blush deepening in color and his body

intensifying in temperature. Why was he thinking like this? And about his baby sister of all people? He was so confused. He loved Claire with all his heart. She

was his world, his reason to wake up every morning, his breath of fresh air in the harsh reality they lived in. But was it innocent? Was it the kind of love an

older brother was supposed to have for their baby sister? He looked down at his hand which was still wrapped with hers. He hadn't kissed her back the last

night, no. But did he want to? He felt his heart thumping rapidly in his chest as he frantically searched for the answer in the whirlwind that was his mind right

now. He wasn't getting a clear "Yes" or "No", much to his dismay. He somehow wondered if that meant perhaps he did want to return her intimate affections

last night. He gazed over at his baby sister's slumbering figure again, and his eyes soon found their target. Her lips. They were slightly parted as she breathed

in and out in a steady and slow motion as she slept peacefully. There was no gloss or even balm smeared across the surface of them. She wasn't really the

type to wear make-up, but occasionally she would put on a simple lip balm. But since she hadn't been feeling well today thanks to her hangover, he figured

she simply forgot or just flat out decided not to bother with applying any.

Chris let go of her hand, and stood up from her bedside where he had been sitting for quite some time. He walked over to her headrest, and gazed down at

her face again to stare longingly at her lips again. Should he? He wondered if he did, would he find the answer to his question. Last night's kiss was etched in

his mind, but due to the mind blowing shock he experienced at the time, he couldn't really remember what he felt aside from that state of awe. He needed a

second try to clear everything up. But as he hovered over her slumbering figure, he found himself frozen in place. He felt awful for even thinking of doing such a

thing to his baby sister, especially when she was completely defenseless, and sleeping. He was also paralyzed by the possibility of her waking up in the middle

of it, and then having her act accordingly. Yelling and screaming were expected, and she would probably pack up some things and leave the apartment for the

night. Or perhaps she would tell him to leave for the night. Either way, she could wake up and be disgusted with his actions with her while she was not aware

of what was going on. I mean, it's not like she would awaken, and somehow like the affections with him right? That was ridiculous on so many levels. That

could never happen.

He was sick and tired of all this thinking he was doing. It wasn't getting him anywhere, and on top of that, it was starting to give him a serious headache.

Before going to grab some painkillers, he decided he would be a man, and do what he set out to do here. Which was to kiss Claire, and see if he felt anything.

If he didn't, then he was just overthinking, and causing situations and problems that weren't even there in the first place. And if he did, well… he honestly

didn't know what he would do if he did indeed feel something. But there was no use in dwelling on it now. It was time to get down to business. He began to

lower himself over her angelic, snoring face, and the closer he got, the more his heartbeat increased in pace, and the hotter his body seemed to get. As he

hovered only inches from her lips, he felt himself freezing up again, but shook himself out of it with a slight nodding of his head. It was now or never. He closed

his eyes, and went in for the kill. But as their lips were just barely touching, Claire's slumbering figure stirred underneath him. His eyes shot wide open, and he

immediately pulled himself off and away from her. But as he looked back at her finally after his panic attack, he noticed she was still sleeping. She just

positioned herself differently, probably for comfort's sake. He let out a breath of relief, which he hadn't realizing he'd been holding. After having a moment to

calm himself, he walked over to her bedside, and planted a soft kiss on her forehead before deciding to leave her alone to rest for the night. He went straight

to the shower, and as the water hit him, he realized the impulsiveness of his intended actions. What was he thinking? Kissing his baby sister? He shook his

head. What was wrong with him? Why was he feeling like this about her? He didn't know but he had never felt so disheveled before in his life. He had to get it

together. After his shower, he got dressed in a basic black scoop neck, green cargo pants, and left his feet bare. He grabbed some painkillers from the

bathroom cabinet, gulped them down with some cold water, and then sat on the couch to watch some TV until he got tired.

A few hours later, Claire woke up, feeling a bit better than she did earlier. But her limbs still ached and her stomach was a little tensed up. But the symptoms

severity had gone down significantly. She knew she had her brother to thank for that. He had been nice enough to hold her hair when she started vomiting

like crazy, and had provided her with ginger ale to sip on afterwards to soothe her uneasy stomach. He told her to lie down, and he grabbed her a towel

soaked in cold water to put on her burning hot forehead. He had been so helpful. As he came to her mind, she looked over at the clock. It was two in the

morning. He was probably sleeping. But knowing him, he was probably snoozing away on the couch. She sighed, getting up out of bed after pushing the

blankets off of herself. She went out to the living room, and sure enough, there he was on the couch sleeping, accompanied by his snoring as she got closer to

him. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and gently began shaking him as she called out in his name in a soft whisper several times.

"Chris."

"Chris, come on."

"Bro, wake up."

He soon woke up, in a bit of a daze, as he murmured to her, "Hmm?"

"Chris. You can sleep but you should go lay down in your bed." She suggested.

He shifted a little. "Do I have to?"

She nodded, giving his hand a slight squeeze. "Yes."

"Fine." He got up, rather clumsily due to his still being half asleep but Claire grabbed onto him to steady him, and led him to his bedroom. As they neared his

bed, she embraced him, and murmured into his ear, "Goodnight." But as she let go and took a step or two away from him, he grabbed her by her waist.

"Chris?" She felt her body heating up all over again, mostly her face, and she knew she was blushing. But thankfully, it was dark in here, the only light coming

through was from the window. As for her chest, where her heart thumped rapidly, he couldn't feel or hear that either thankfully. "I'm worried about you. Sleep

next to me. My bed's big enough." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Well, the part about sleeping next to him anyway. She knew he was caring, so

him worrying was no shocker at all. "W-Wha? But Chri—" He pulled her closer to him, his hands still resting at her waist as he nuzzled his face into her neck.

"Claire. It's okay. I just want you to sleep next to me so I won't have to worry so much." He explained into her ear. When she said nothing, he said, "You trust

me don't you?" She nodded against his figure. "Yeah." She mumbled. She felt so safe in his arms though it was dark and she couldn't see him all that well. He

had always made her feel like that though. Through even the hardest of situations. "Then let's go to bed." He let go of her, and she climbed onto the left side

of the bed, laying on her back. Chris followed after her, taking the right side of the bed, and he laid on his side facing her, wrapping his arm loosely around her

shoulders. "Good night, Claire." His eyes were closed, and soon, he was fast asleep again. She smiled. "Night, Chris." She closed her own eyes, and soon

drifted off into her own slumber for the night.

Her eyes fluttered open, and when the blurriness faded, Chris' slumbering face came into view. He was lying on his back next to her. He looked so peaceful

and at ease. She wasn't used to seeing him in such a state. Aside from that, she realized she had slept in his bed for the night. She smiled as she placed her

hand on top of his which was sprawled out at his side, taking all of this in. His light snoring, his slumbering face, his tousled hair, and the faint smell of his

aftershave lingering in the sheets as well as from him. She wouldn't have minded waking up like this every morning. She cuddled up next to him, laying her

head on his toned chest gently to not wake him. Despite her efforts, her slight stirring woke him anyway. Chris smiled, his eyes in a daze from waking up

looking down at his baby sister cuddled up against him, and he pulled her closer, holding her by the waist. Claire tensed up from the sudden movement, and

felt her body heating up from the realization of what was happening. "Good morning." He murmured. She felt her smile return hearing him greet her in his half

asleep voice. "Morning, sleepy head." She joked. "You feeling better, Claire?" He asked. Though still not fully awake, he remembered the previous day's

events, which of course included Claire's hangover and the symptoms that followed. She nodded against him. "Yeah. A lot better, actually." She hadn't really

thought about it, but now that he had brought it up, she noted that her head wasn't pounding, her stomach was at ease and steady, and her limbs didn't

ache anymore. "Good." His smile only grew in size hearing that. He had been quite worried about her, so much so that he didn't leave her side until… well, until

he freaked himself out by trying to kiss her while she slept and she ended up stirring out of the blue. But he didn't want to think about that for long, especially

with his baby sister right next to him on the bed.

But it had been somehow worth it. His freak out led him to sleep on the couch, and Claire being the sweetheart she was encouraged him to sleep in his own

bed. And being the worrywart he was, he convinced her to sleep next to him for the night so he wouldn't have to worry. And it had been one of the best nights

of rest he had gotten in a long while. Sleeping next to her brought him some sense of security. Home was actually starting to feel like home again, and boy

was he glad to be home. He nuzzled his head atop hers affectionately, closing his eyes. _He was home…_

"Chris?" He stayed positioned comfortably the way he was, and even kept his eyes closed and ate ease as he responded, "Mm?". "Thanks for taking care of

me yesterday." He nodded against her slightly. "Of course, Claire. I'm always gonna be there for you." She smiled, closing her own eyes as well as she let

herself relax finally. She had been butting heads with him the past few days for two reasons. One of them being the fact that he left without saying a word to

her face. He instead left some letter on her bed, barely telling her much. The second reason being her sudden affections toward him though she was trying her

hardest to keep them hidden and under wraps. As for the first reason… she was dropping it right here, right now. She couldn't be angry or upset with him

anymore. It wasn't his doing, and he was showing her these past few days of being back home that he still cared about her now just as much as he did before

he left. Maybe even more so. Upon this realization, she felt her stomach twist with guilt. She had been treating him rather poorly the past few days, giving him

the cold shoulder and what not. "I'm sorry." Chris blinked in awe. "For what?" She tensed up against him. "I'm sorry for how I've been treating you since you

got back. Flinching at your touch, snapping off at you, and acting distant. You don't deserve it. Any of it." He stayed silent in case she had more to say, and it

turned out she did. "I admit, I was hesitant to get comfortable with you being around at home because of your leaving out of the blue like you did before… but

I can't act like this anymore. I should be enjoying the time while you're around because who knows when S.T.A.R.S. is going to call you off on another mission."

"Claire…" He was glad she was finally opening up to him about all this. He knew her behavior had something to do with his absence. But somehow, he felt she

hadn't laid the whole truth out on the table. There was something she wasn't saying. "I appreciate you being so honest with me. And I accept your apology."

Her tensed up body relaxed against him. "Thank you, Chris…" She mumbled into his shirt. "But I can't help but feel like there's something you're not telling

me…" He trailed off. Her body tensed up again, and soon, she found herself unable to stop shaking. What was she supposed to say now? He had figured her

out. Read her like an open book. "Claire, you're trembling." His cool, calm, and collected demeanor faded immediately, and was replaced with that of concern

and worry. "If I tell you… you have to promise not to hate me. I can't live without you, Chris… I don't have anyone else." Her voice matched that of her shaking

body. She was fearful of his reaction of whatever she would tell him. His uncertainty and uneasiness only grew with this. It must have been serious given her

body language, her cracking voice, and the fact that he had to make such a promise before she even told him whatever it was. Since it had to do with him, he

began to doubt that it had to do with her male friend from the island. But if it wasn't him, then just what was it that his baby sister was so afraid to tell him?

Though he was just as nervous as she was, he decided to just get on with it. There was no use in prolonging the tension between them. "I promise, Claire."

She stood up from the bed, and walked over toward the closed door, but stopped to the left of it, keeping her back to Chris who still lay in bed. She

contemplated leaving, running away from the situation here. But she had had enough of hiding. She needed to get this out. And he had already promised her

that he wouldn't hate her… and her brother wasn't the type to break promises. He had promised to always protect her, and he always did. Not once did he not

come through for her. She was thankful she wasn't facing him. It somewhat helped the shaking of her body to slow a bit. "This is going to sound absolutely

crazy… and just outright weird but… " She trailed off. How was she going to put this? She didn't want it to come out the wrong way. Although deep down, she

didn't want this to come out at all. But Chris wanted to know so badly, and to be honest, she was getting sick of holding it in, and not knowing what to do with

it. So far, all it was doing was driving her mad. "I think I…" Her stomach was in knots. And her tongue kept getting all tied up, and thus, she was tripping over

her words. She heard footsteps behind her, and soon, felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her stomach gently. She felt his warm breath breathing on her

neck. "Please… just tell me." He pleaded. His touch… his voice… it all drove her mad with… these feelings. These intense, romantic feelings…

"I've fallen in love with you, Chris!" She blurted out, her voice nearly reaching screaming level. She immediately drew her hands to her lips where the

confession had flown out so suddenly without her realizing. She had said it. It finally came out. The shaking of her body came to a complete stop, slowing

down all at once, and the knots in her stomach dissipated. It was like a weight had been taken off of her, and now she could finally rest. But after she realized

Chris was still behind her, arms around her, and breath hitting her neck, she tensed up again. What was he going to say? Would he say anything at all? Would

he stay here with her? Or go elsewhere? She couldn't say for sure, only time could tell. She stood there, waiting for something to happen, and felt herself

going numb as she stood in silence. "Claire… turn around." She closed her eyes in fear, her fists balling up at her sides. She didn't want to face him. She didn't

know how he had taken the news, and wasn't really up for being face-to-face with him after having spilled her heart out. But she obeyed. She had laid the

cards out on the table. And now she had to see the outcome. She turned to him, gazing into his eyes, which at this point in time looked so unfamiliar to her. It

was like he was a stranger whom she knew absolutely nothing about. His hands which had been on her stomach moved to her waist. "Kiss me." His voice was

smooth and soothing. She felt her face flare up with heat which was associated by reddening of her cheeks. "What!?" She objected. Was he really saying this?

Or was this some dream of hers? She wouldn't have been surprised if she were dreaming. After all, she had dreamed of kissing him before. He cupped her

face, caressing it affectionately with his fingers which gently brushed against her skin. "Kiss me." He repeated. She felt her heart thumping in her chest, and

she suddenly felt hot all over. What was happening? Was this really happening? It was all so crazy. But she didn't want it to end, dream or not. She leaned in

for the kiss, and he followed suit. The meshing of their lips was so foreign to the both of them. But it felt right. They explored the curve of one another's lips, as

well as the curve of each other's bodies which were pressed up against one another. They both felt hot, as if they were burning under the sun's rays. But their

limp limbs did not cause them to collapse because they were holding each other up. They finally parted for air moments later, both left nearly breathless.

"Claire?" She looked up at him, as she held onto his shoulder, and his own hands rested at her waist. "Mhmm?" He embraced her. "I love you… but not in the

brother and sister sort of way. I mean, I feel for you in a romantic way." She couldn't believe her ears. Had he really said that? "Really?" She murmured. He

nodded against her figure. "The other night, when you were tipsy you kissed me when I was trying to get you to go to bed. And though I didn't respond to it, I

started to feel differently around you. I wanted to kiss you so I could figure out what exactly I was feeling. And now I know." Her shock factor only grew. Her

kiss with him wasn't a dream… it had been real. She shook her head to herself. She needed to be careful about getting drunk. She was a bit of a free spirit,

and didn't think anything through before saying or doing it when she had a bit of liquor in her system. But regardless, it had brought them to this, and she was

thankful for it. Things were finally getting cleared up, and the tension in their house had been tossed away in one fell swoop. "Claire… would you like to go out

to dinner with me tonight?" She didn't even have to ask. She knew he was asking her out on a date. Her brother had always been the gentlemen type. "I

would love to… but I'll need something nice to wear." He smiled. She must not have remembered the dress he gave her seeing as she had been tipsy at the

time. "Already taken care of. There's a red dress in your room sitting in a white box." She instantly remembered picking that box up the previous day when she

had woken up and was in search of some clothes to put on after her shower. So that's where it had come from.

"Chris?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm kind of… well… I feel a little weird about all of this." At first he stayed still and said nothing. But eventually, he nodded in understanding, and said, "I know.

It's a bit foreign to me too, Claire. But we'll get past that. Let's just focus on me and you right now, huh? And our date for tonight." Her stiff figure in his arms

told him she was still uncertain despite his comforting words. "Don't worry so much." He whispered. He moved his head, burying it into the crook of her

shoulder, and placed a kiss on her smooth, soft skin, earning a sudden moan from her. They both stiffened at this, especially Chris. He was not used to seeing

or hearing his sister in such a state, but he liked it. But he pulled away from her neck, and continued to hold her. "I see you liked that. Well don't worry… once

we get more comfortable around each other, I'll kiss you more intimately like that." He felt her grip on him tighten, and he heard her whisper into his ear, "I'll

be looking forward to it."


	6. A Not So Romantic Date

_This is a revised, and slightly different version of "How Can I Not Love You?" which I posted from a different account. If any of you have read that before and liked it enough to read the whole thing, feel free to read this. I feel it's a bit more detailed and it may differ a bit in storyline so it's worth a read. Those who have not, you're welcome to read also, but be warned. This is incest, Claire x Chris incest to be specific. So if that sort of thing grosses you out, hit the back button to return to the long list of fanfictions to choose from to find something that doesn't give you the same reaction. Anyways, R&R!_

Claire and Chris had decided to go to a restaurant called Grill 13 in the city. It was a standard restaurant, but pretty nice inside with booths and lighting hanging from the ceiling. Not to mention great food. They walked side by side on the sidewalk seeing as the restaurant was just a few blocks away. Both looked different than usual as they had decided to dress up for this special occasion. Claire was sporting her red sleeveless dress with thin straps, a black motorcycle jacket, and black heeled ankle boots. Her hair was down and laid perfectly on her shoulders. Chris wore a green button up, dark wash jeans, and brown loafers.

"It's been a long time since we've gone out to dinner someplace together." Chris said breaking through the silence aside from the cool night air and the their footsteps against the pavement.

Claire nodded. "Yeah. It really has. But its nice to be able to now."

Chris smiled at her. He was so happy to have her by his side. And more so under the circumstances. She was so beautiful. That dress he bought her on a manikin in the store was nothing compared to the dress on her body. But somehow… he felt nervous. Uncomfortable. Unsettling. As much as he wanted to wrap his arm around her, hold her hand, caress her face, hold her, kiss her… he just felt wrong somehow. He knew deep down it was because she was his baby sister. He somehow felt like he was taking advantage of her if he acted on his impulses. And so he tensed up when he felt the urge to be affectionate or loving with her.

"Thanks again for the dress. I love it. With this moto jacket it's perfect." Claire said with a wink and a smile.

Chris felt himself go red in the face, heat rising to it all at once. But that wasn't all he felt. He felt so… attracted to her. He was feeling more than just love for her. And as much as he tried to shake the feelings off, there were there alright.

"No problem. You deserve it."

Claire was still smiling, but it faded away after his comment. She couldn't help but have wanted something more than that… perhaps a "You look beautiful in that dress" or something along those lines would've sufficed. But she didn't blame him. This was a bit weird for her too. Going on a date with your own brother? Well, it definitely wasn't something most people did in their lives. But then again, they weren't "most people". They were different. In a good way. They had been through quite a bit of pain from their parents' death a young age to Chris leaving for the S.T.A.R.S force without so much as a goodbye, but they had made it through. Pretty damn well as a matter of what. And through it all, they had managed to keep their bond strong. They had more than proved it, seeing as the two had just a few days ago admitted their romantic feelings toward each other. And they were still living under the same roof, and as close as ever. The only thing that was missing was the romantic actions… holding hands, cuddling, kissing, touching…

"Well you're looking damn good tonight." Claire complimented, and gave a playful smack to his ass, startling Chris who had spaced out.

The heat in his face only increased with this, and he felt his hormones raging all the more with this playful but sexual gesture. Did Claire really want to… With him? He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, and though it helped, it did not rid him of his shot nerves completely.

They reached Grill 13 shortly after, and Chris held one of the brown double doors for Claire. "Thank you." Claire smiled at him, and Chris felt his heart thumping in his chest at a faster rate. Damn her smile was cute. He followed into the restaurant behind her, and soon a waiter led them to a booth on the left side of the restaurant. They were given menus and complimentary glasses of water and then left to mull over the many options to make a decision. Chris attempted to keep his eyes on the pages of the laminated menu, but every so often, caught himself staring at Claire, who looked absolutely gorgeous, as she browsed through her own menu. He noticed she had her hair down, which he hardly ever saw, she was wearing a dress which again was quite rare, and she even put a light coating of pink lip gloss on her lips. He tried to get himself to stop staring, as it was rude and well, even a little creepy he thought. But every so often, his gaze returned to her. Claire put her menu down onto the table, and her eyes went up and met his.

"So, what are ya gonna get?"

"Oh.. uh, probably the steak and shrimp combo." Chris answered, and then immediately took a gulp of his complimentary glass of water. He needed to calm down. It was just a date. He had been on a few of them before. So why was this one so… so… different?

"A predictable but good choice. I think I'm going with the classic burger and fries." Claire said, breaking him from his thoughts.

Chris felt himself smile. Claire was definitely no girly-girl. She had a real appetite. She wasn't one of those salad eating girls he had gone on dates with before.

"That's the Claire I know." He said, chuckling a little. Claire smacked his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" Chris said, holding his arm jokingly as if he had gotten hurt severely.

"You trying to call me fat or something?" Claire replied, putting on her best pretend angry face and putting her hands at her sides as she leered over the table.

"Of course not, Claire. You're… you're perfect. I wouldn't change a thing about you."

Claire's expression softened and her eyes gazed straight into his, her crystal blue orbs into his dark chocolate. She reached over the table slowly, and laced their fingers together. She felt that familiar thumping in her chest, the warmth rising to her face accompanied by the reddening of her pale skin, the butterflies in her stomach, and her words nearly being lodged in her throat. "You're still sweet as ever, I see. I just wish you'd show it more since… well our sudden confessions to each other…" Her lip gloss coated lips formed into a small smile, as she brushed her dainty fingers against his. Chris' lips parted, both in shock from her sudden affections and words, but also because he wanted to speak. He just wasn't sure what to say. He should've known this would come up. It was only natural that it would. Before he could say anything, the food arrived, along with the coke and sprite they had ordered along with it.

Even when they were left alone to enjoy their food, Chris felt his courage to speak dissipate all over again. He cut into his steak with knife and fork in hand, but felt disheveled and unsettled as he tried to avoid eye contact with Claire. Every once in a while, their eyes met, but no words were exchanged. Claire too felt uncomfortable and unsure of what more to say to break the almost unbearable silence mixed with the occasional clink or clank of their silverware as they eat quietly or took a drink from their glasses. She felt her heart drop in her chest seeing as he hadn't even responded to what she said. Did his lack of communication mean that he was having second thoughts about feeling for her in a romantic way? Perhaps it did. She tried her best to hold back her urge to storm out of the restaurant and cry. Or rush out the double doors in an angry huff. Maybe both. But she held it together, and took bites from her burger, and led hot, crispy fries into her mouth every so often. When they finished, and the bill came in a black thin sort of envelope, he took out his Visa card, and slipped it in its inside compartments. When his card was given back to him, the two left, and like when they arrived, Chris held the door open for Claire as they exited the double doors of the restaurant.

The walk home too was awkward and quiet. Neither said a word, and their footsteps and the cool breeze were all that sounded through their ears. Reaching their apartment complex, the two went up a flight of stairs, and entered and locked their single apartment door behind them. Claire headed for her room, closing the door behind her, and Chris sighed when he saw and heard it close. He knew he had messed up. He had tensed up at the worst possible time, and probably left her thinking he wasn't serious about what he had said to her just a few days earlier. He paced the room, and tried to think about how to fix this. What to do. What to say. But he found that all this pacing around wasn't do him any good. He had to get past this anxiety and nervousness and be the man Claire deserved. He headed for the bathroom, splashed some cold water on his face from the faucet, dried off with a cotton face towel, and walked to Claire's bedroom door. He took a breath, and flicked out his arms to rid himself of the aches and tenses built up in them. It helped a little. Not completely. But either way, it was now or never. He reached for her doorknob, and turned it slowly, carefully. He pushed it forward and open, and stepped inside, keeping his footsteps light as possible against the hard floor.

"Claire?" He called out softly, as he approached her window and bed.

She said nothing. He saw her figure in bed because though the lights were off and it was dark, there was a dim light coming from the cracked window whose blinds were pulled back. She did not stir. But he heard no gentle snoring either, so he assumed she was still awake. Perhaps she was just deep in her thought. Or maybe she just didn't want to talk to him. He could understand why. He had acted so childishly tonight. He regretted every bit of it. And wanted to apologize. Not only say sorry but make up for it. He really did love her. Not just as a baby sister. But as a man would to a beautiful woman. Someone who he could hold, kiss, and… do other things with. Someone he could be really serious with.

He sat on the bed, careful not to sit on her legs which were sprawled across her full sized bed. Initially he had his back to her. But remembering that he had to stop being so timid, and so unsure, he turned to face her, and in turn laid on the bed beside her, wrapping his strong arms around her curvy figure from behind.

"Claire." He repeated her name, this time in a whisper, his breath brushing against her neck and ear. She shuddered, but in a way to prevent her from moaning or in prevention of some other noise of pleasure emitting from her pursed lips.

She said nothing. She just lay there, her breathing picking up a bit in pace as he pressed his body against hers, and his hands lay on her bare stomach since she had changed out of her dress and motorcycle jacket and into a red cropped tank top, and black jeans. Her skin was soft, and a little cold from the cool breeze coming from the cracked window. His fingers brushed gently across the creases of her slender belly. The sound of honking cars and wheels ripping across the pavement filled their ears as they lay there in otherwise a completely quiet room. Chris broke the silence eventually.

"Claire… I… I'm sorry. I should've said something to you. Ya know, back at the restaurant. I guess I was just… nervous… unsure… afraid… to leave myself free to act on my feelings for you. Truth is, I do want to hold you… caress you… kiss you… I just didn't want to rush you into something you weren't comfortable with. And I didn't want to take advantage of you. You mean the world to me, Claire… you always have. And now, even more so… I just don't want to hurt you. I don't want to ruin what we have because I'm not thinking clearly. I love you far too much for that."

She tensed up at this. And for a while stayed mute. But after a while, she placed her hands over his which still rested comfortably on her stomach, and said,

"You say you love me… but are you in love with me?"

Chris tensed up too at this. Though it was a reasonable question, he still hadn't been prepared for it. He felt his throat get tight again, like the words wouldn't come out just as it did back at the restaurant. But remembering how she looked through dinner, and how she retreated to her room without a word when they returned home, he practically forced the lodged words from his throat as they slipped through his lips.

"Madly. I'm madly in love with you, Claire."

Claire stayed still and quiet for a moment, but just a moment, before she turned to him, and embraced him, feeling the tears come from eyes finally and roll down her cheeks.

"I'm in love with you too, Chris." She mumbled into his hair.

He held her closely, protectively, and affectionately as she cried softly into him. He was glad that they had finally broken the barrier that had been present ever since they had confessed this to each other the very first time. But this time, it was different. They had confessed, but here they were, embracing like long lost lovers, and even their confessions sounded more passionate and heartfelt this time around. Feeling like he could finally let go of his hesitation, he pulled away from her, but still held her by her gently by her mid back, and he kissed her, slowly and sensually, like he had done years back with past girlfriends. She responded, eagerly and lovingly, her lips meshing with his and her arms wrapping loosely around his neck. They kissed each other for a while, both of them so immured in the moment they didn't even realize how long they'd been laying there like that in each other's arms and nearly kissing the night away. They parted every once in a while for air, but soon were back in each other's personal space, their bodies and lips intertwining. At one point, Chris placed his lips on Claire's neck, rather than her lips, and trailed soft, wet kisses along her collarbone, causing her to gasp and moan and shudder in pleasure underneath him.

They eventually grew sleepy, and they pulled away from each other and repositioned themselves on the bed so that they were cuddling. Claire closed her eyes, and Chris kept his open, and caressed the strands of her hair falling behind her shoulders, still down and ponytail-free.

"Claire?" Chris mumbled.

"Mm?" Claire responded.

"I'm sorry for tonight. Could we… try again? Maybe tomorrow night?"

Claire said nothing and stayed still for a moment. She then nodded against his figure.

"And this time… let's dress casually. I don't feel like me and you are the "dress up and go" kinda people. And let's go to a bar instead. I feel like it would loosen us up a bit. Ya know, less formal and such."

Claire chuckled.

"You've got yourself a date, Chris." She said, opening her eyes for just a minute, and then closing them again.

Chris smiled, nuzzled his head into the crook of her shoulder, and closed his own eyes finally, and soon, both of them were fast asleep.

_I know it's been a while, and for that I do apologize. I got really busy with school. I hope you guys enjoyed though, despite the long wait, and will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Thanks for reading & reviewing! _


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